Stoke City transfer state of play as New Year brings major changes
Stoke City are almost three weeks into the January transfer window with a lot of change but no big first signing.
The month started with a new manager in Mark Robins, appointed on New Year's Day along with two new assistants, Paul Nevin and James Rowberry. Dean Whitehead, the former Stoke midfielder who had returned as first team coach under Narcis Pelach, left after a solid 0-0 draw at Burnley.
Robins' first move to affect the squad he inherited was to bring back Lewis Baker from what was intended to be a season-long loan at Blackburn Rovers that would have taken him up to the end of his Stoke contract. He was straight back in the starting XI for an FA Cup third round win away at Sunderland.
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Nathan Lowe, the 19-year-old striker, has returned as well after an exceptional loan spell at Walsall and England youth keeper Tommy Simkin, aged 20 and also shining on loan as Walsall march towards the League Two title, has been back to train under the new regime too so he can make his introductions.
There has been League One interest in taking Lowe out again, from Rotherham and Huddersfield, but he will be in Stoke's party for this afternoon's trip to West Bromwich Albion in the Championship.
But Stoke have lost 11-goal striker Tom Cannon as parent club Leicester triggered a loan recall in the final hour before a deadline to do so passed on Tuesday night. Stoke had needed to fight off serious competition to sign him last summer and he was happy to stay but Leicester are expected to cash in now. Sheffield United, Sunderland and Burnley have been most heavily linked.
Stoke have been linked with a move for 22-year-old right wing-back Alex Timossi Andersson, from IF Brommapojkarna in Sweden but StokeonTrentLive believes that is not a deal in the pipeline for now.
There have been whispers of interest in Jayden Danns, from Liverpool; Ipswich striker Ali Al Hamadi, Coventry forward Brandon Thomas-Asante and Tottenham rookie playmaker Tyrese Hall.
Robins said at his pre-West Brom press conference: "We’re working hard with the players we’ve got in the building and also to try to do something ourselves this January.
“January, like I’ve said before, is a really, really difficult window but everyone is working as hard as they can do in a really difficult market and at a restrictive time for the football club. We’re trying to make the best of that and navigate our way through.”
